The Internet is evolving from the human-centered connection network by which humans create and consume information to the Internet of Things (IoT) network by which information is communicated and processed between things or other distributed components. The Internet of Everything (IoE) technology may be an example of a combination of the Big data processing technology and the IoT technology through, e.g., a connection with a cloud server.
To implement the IoT, technology elements, such as a sensing technology, wired/wireless communication and network infra, service interface technology, and a security technology, are required. There is a recent ongoing research for inter-object connection technologies, such as the sensor network, Machine-to-Machine (M2M), or the Machine-Type Communication (MTC).
In the IoT environment may be offered intelligent Internet Technology (IT) services that collect and analyze the data generated by the things connected with one another to create human life a new value. The IoT may have various applications, such as the smart home, smart building, smart city, smart car or connected car, smart grid, health-care, or smart appliance industry, or state-of-art medical services, through conversion or integration of existing IT technologies and various industries.
There are ongoing research efforts to automatically control electronic equipment such as air conditioners based on users' state information.
For example, there are being proposed methods for automatically controlling the temperature based on the user's state information such as the temperature she feels. As per such methods, e.g., an air conditioner measures the user's apparent temperature and performs temperature control as per a predetermined rule on the measured apparent temperature.
However, since, although apparent temperature is a value calculated by a sort of formula, the temperature perceived by humans differs person to person, there cannot exist a single apparent temperature that may apply commonly to all people. Further, even at the same apparent temperature, the user may want the temperature to change in different ways (e.g., temperature up or down) depending on the user's conditions (e.g., tired or excited).
If the temperature is adjusted simply as preset at the same apparent temperature, then it would not be the way the user actually wishes. That is, how the user feels about the temperature may be subjective, and the user may want the temperature to be controlled in different ways depending on his surrounding or biometric conditions even in the same physical environment.
Thus, a need exists for a scheme capable of using state information, which may differ person to person even in the same environment, in controlling external equipment.